Workshop highlights halal food potential for Jordanian factories

AMMAN — The value of halal food market in the world exceeds $650 billion, with  demand for it expected to increase by 20 per cent in the next years,  Amman Chamber of Industry (ACI) President Ziad Homsi said Wednesday. 

At the inauguration ceremony of a workshop ACI organised in cooperation with Gulf Halal Centre to introduce "Halal" standard, Homsi said that other halal sectors will be offered, such as medicines, tourism, Islamic fashion and cosmetics, according to an ACI statement. 

Halal food and products have become an international market for Muslims and non-Muslims, and many non-Muslim countries recognise this international consumption trend, he said.

The workshop is aimed at marketing halal products through enabling Jordanian factories to obtain all necessary certificates that help them develop their products and increase their exports, Homsi added.

Chief Islamic Justice Ahmad Hilayel highlighted the importance of issuing halal certificates from the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organisation (JSMO) in compliance with Sharia (Islamic law), and under the supervision of the Ifta Department. 

Hilayel praised the roles of ACI and JSMO in issuing the Halal Standard, reiterating the significance of benefiting from the experience of countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates that already apply this standard, added the statement. 

JSMO Director General Haydar Zaben said the organisation had embarked on granting the certificate and logo of halal food, and issued regulations to provide the certificate from a neutral third party testifying that a product meets the requirements of Sharia and is free of Islam-prohibited ingredients.